Wednesday Mailbag – Soundproof a Studio Space in NYC

Hi Mike,

I want to soundproof my home recording studio from scratch. It measures 35 ft by 38 ft and has a 10 ft. ceiling. I’ll need to soundproof the walls, floor and ceiling as it’s in a residential complex in NYC. I’ve only ever used foam and didn’t cover the whole space so what kind of costs am I looking at? Also to what degree can I solve the sound bleed issue so I don’t annoy the neighbors?

Thanks
Dannie

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Hi Dannie,

You will need barrier technology that achieves a STC rating of 65 or better if you have neighbors and you are going to be playing music at the pressure levels most studios I know play at. Your room is huge and low pressure energy will have room to move without causing noticeable resonances. However, you must isolate your existing room from the rest of the building to avoid sound “bleed” into your neighbor’s rooms. You have no choice but to build a room within a room and mechanically decouple your new floating room from your existing room. Your new room will float on vibrational isolators and be a sealed unit inside but not touching your existing room.

You can build the room out of block or frame. You can use 2″ x 10″ stud and frame out 3″ from the existing wall from all four walls and then the ceiling. This will be your new room basic foot print. Barrier techniques and materials will then be applied systematically on this 2″ x 10″ frame. The Internal wall cavity can be filled with a blend of activated carbon and specialty mineral wool.

If you have certain neighbors that are sound sensitive more so than others, you may need additional barrier technology on the shared surface area between you and your neighbors. This is a difficult project and you must spend time and energy in the design, material choice, and definitely the construction methodology for success to occur. Without a professionally supervised installation you are wasting time and money.

Thanks
Mike